遗容 (yí róng) — (formal) the face or appearance of a deceased person; remains as seen in a funeral setting; (formal) a mortuary portrait; a painted or photographed portrait of a deceased person

Definition

A formal, written term for the face or likeness of a deceased person, often seen in a funeral context or as a mortuary portrait. Almost never used in everyday speech.

noun
(formal) the face or appearance of a deceased personremains as seen in a funeral setting(formal) a mortuary portraita painted or photographed portrait of a deceased person
Measure word · 张
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，遗容。
    Tā zhàn zài líng qián, zuì hòu kàn le yì yǎn yí róng.
    He stood before the spirit, taking one last look at the deceased's face.
  • 遗容，。
    Qiáng shàng guà zhe fù qīn de yí róng, shì tā nián qīng shí de yàng zi.
    On the wall hangs a portrait of my father, from when he was young.
  • 遗容。
    Tā zài zhěng lǐ yí wù shí fā xiàn le yì zhāng lǎo yí róng.
    While sorting through the belongings, she found an old mortuary portrait.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

遗yíleft behind or deceased
容róngappearance

遗 means left behind or deceased and 容 means appearance, so it is the appearance of someone who has died.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 遺; 遗 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòmove
Sound part声符shēngfú
貴
貴guì遺yí
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 遺 pairs 辶 (move) with 貴 as a sound part; the simplified 遗 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the old sound part.

Open 遗 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
公
公gōng容róng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 容, the 宀 (roof) part points to holding or containing, and 公 gives the sound.

Open 容 →

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